21st Century Encroachment

This morning I shared https://www.thefeatheredsleep.com/grief-in-faces/ which is a sensitive and insightful tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and to all who have their own reasons to mourn. Such sharing is not my normal practice, but this most definitely warranted it.

Afterwards Jackie drove me to The Bridges, an historic area of Ringwood, where we met Helen, Bill, Shelly, Ron, and their friends Maggie and Pete, for lunch in what should be the picturesque Fish Inn.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g503850-d23584697-Reviews-Bridge_Over_The_River_Avon-Ringwood_New_Forest_National_Park_Hampshire_Hampshire.html features part of the spot I could not reach today as

the pub, in the process of thatching, is surrounded by protective scaffolding,

and oppressed by the road widening works on the A31.

It is possible for pedestrians to cross the bridge featured by Trip Advisor above

and look down on the rippling River Avon and its surroundings but as the 21st Century encroaches I fear for the future of this attractive area and its environs.

Everyone enjoyed our lunches. I restricted myself to one course in order to keep fit for tonight’s dinner. My battered haddock and chips was excellent, but I didn’t like the minted peas that came with it, so swapped them for some of Jackie’s onion rings. She likes these definitely non-mushy pulses. The other meals and desserts looked very good. I drank Butcombe best bitter, since it was good enough for Ron.

This evening we dined on racks of pork ribs with Jackie’s savoury rice with which she drank Diet Coke and I drank Patrick Chodot Fleurie 2021. The young couple ate later.

0 comments

  2. Wow, you guys sure eat well! Sounds delicious. I have never seen a thatched roof over here but they look very nice. Little by little the old ways are slipping away…

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    1. It is, John. We have reed beds locally at Lymington. A thatcher once told me that he used some from an Eastern European location he was unable to reveal, because it was better. Thanks very much

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  4. I enjoyed the images of thatchers at work.

    I’m a big fan of fish n chips. I think I favour the batter with a suitable shake of salt vinegar more than the fish!

    Apologies once again for the omission of the bollard.

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  5. Beautiful photos!
    I like seeing the thatch-workers thatching. 🙂
    Sounds like delicious meals! Yum! 😋
    (((HUGS))) and ❤️ to all! Especially Ellie! 🙂
    PS…”Give peas a chance.” – John Lennon 😉 😀
    “Being pretty on the inside means you don’t hit your brother and you eat all your peas…that’s what my grandma taught me.” – Lord Chesterfield 🙂

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      1. ‘I eat my peas with honey,
        I’ve done it all my life,
        It makes the peas taste funny,
        But it sticks them to my knife.

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  8. It’s so interesting to see the thatching process, although it certainly requires some adjustments from those who have to navigate around it. As for the traffic: what you show’s akin to my daily drive to and from work. It builds patience.

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  16. That thatching looks like quite a job. I love the photos of the bridge and river, and I hope this area will not be destroyed. In a recent comment to Dwight on dVerse, I mentioned his poem reminded me of Joni Mitchell’s “they paved paradise, put up a parking lot.”

    Reply

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